Abilities in Hollow Knight: Silksong are special combat and movement abilities that help you progress in the game. While some abilities are for exploration, others specialize in combat. Swift Step is the first ability you can unlock and allows you to dash. Each ability is unlocked from different locations, as some require you to interact with an Altar and others by defeating a specific boss. These abilities help in fighting different region bosses and traversal. In this guide, we’ll discuss all abilities in Hollow Knight: Silksong and how to get them during the journey.
All Abilities in Hollow Knight: Silksong
Below are all the abilities in Hollow Knight Silksong and how to unlock them.
1. Swift Step
Swift Step Location
To get the Swift Step ability, make your way up to the east, through the major portion of Deep Docks. Your first mini destination is an exit path at the northeast corner of the chamber.
- Hit a lever to reach it. In the next chamber, you need to move east, jumping along the hot coal surface to avoid taking burn damage.
- At the end of the chamber, hop up some rocks and strike an explosive core to open the route to the next chamber.
- There’s another bench here that you can spend Rosaries to unlock.
There’s also a boss encounter ahead, so be careful.
1.1 Where to Find Swift Step in Deep Docks
From the bench, move back west into the previous chamber that goes all the way up. After that, travel to the east to reach a narrow corridor.
- Moving west brings you to the boss chamber, where you need to defeat multiple enemies.
- Now, move west and drop down into a new chamber.
- Look out for spike pits and strike the explosive rock at the southeast corner to unlock a shortcut back to the bench.
- Move to the southeast exit and interact with the shrine to unlock Swift Step.
2. How to unlock Drifter’s Cloak via Seamstress Quest
Drifter’s Cloak Location
Drifter’s Cloak in Hollow Knight: Silksong allows you to float across large gaps and avoid enemy attacks.
- Head into the Deep Docks and find the giant floating tent. Inside is going to be Seamstress. She gives you a hunt quest called Flexible Spines.
- Go into the small cave on the right side area and hit the floating spike balls.
- Hitting the spike balls will shoot spines and give you Spine Cores.
- You need 25 Spine Cores for the quest, so you can keep reloading the area.
- Take the cores back to the Seamstress, allowing you to activate your Drifter’s Cloak.
3. How to Get Cling Grip
Cling Grip Location
Cling Grip is a traversal ability that allows you to climb up vertical walls, enabling access to secret paths. After defeating the Sister Splinter boss, move further west.
- Drop down briefly before moving back and towards the top west exit.
- In the next chamber, move further west, break through several vines, then needle pogo your way up through a platforming section.
- The goal is to reach the top east exit of this chamber.
- Reach the final chamber and interact with the altar to unlock Cling Grip (Wall Jump).
Cling Grip will help you in accessing different areas that you were unable to access before. So, it’s a good choice to get the ability and get help in traversal like vertical platforms.
4. How to Get Needolin From Widow Boss
Needolin Location
Needolin is the last traversal ability in Act 1 of Hollow Knight Silksong, allowing you to open up various Weaver Doors throughout Pharloom. You can unlock this ability by defeating the Widow boss in the depths of Bellhart.
- Feel free to heal at the bench in Shellwood if necessary.
- Return to the last chamber and move east back through it.
- Dropping down a couple of holes and moving east will bring you to the Widow boss fight.
Needolin will open access to the locked Weaver Doors that blocked the path earlier, and by playing Needolin you unlock new areas.
4.1 Defeat the Widow Boss
This boss is definitely up there with the likes of Moorwing in terms of difficulty. There are a few attacks from her that deal double damage. She mainly uses bell attacks, and you can deflect these bells to deal counter damage by parrying.
- First thing you need to be aware of is that after you defeat the Widow, there will be a usual victory animation, but it’s a trap, and there is a phase two to the fight.
- Phase two is more frantic at first, but Widow’s attack pattern will become more predictable.
- She will drop a vertical or diagonal bell a few times, then perform a flurry attack.
Once you’ve defeated Widow, you plunge your needle and bind to unlock the Needolin ability.
5. Needle Strike
Needle Strike Location
Neelde Strike in Hollow Knight: Silksong allows you to hold the attack button to deal a more powerful charged attack in a fight. This ability is useful while fighting multiple enemies to clear a path.
- Make your way to the Blasted Steps to obtain the Needle Strike.
- Speaking with the Pinstress in this region enables you to get Needle Strike.
- You also need to defeat Great Conchflies to reach this spot.
- The boss is hard to tackle, and upgrading your Needle can help.
6. Clawline
Clawline Location
The Clawline or Grapple Hook is the first traversal ability in Act 2 of Hollow Knight: Silksong. This ability does take silk to use, so make sure you don’t try to jump and use it again too quickly. Give Hornet a second to regenerate some of her silk so she can use Clawline again.
6.1 How to Get Clawline
Start moving from the bench in the Underworks area, move west, drop down, and smack a wheel lever several times to activate an air lift. Ride it up to the western exit. Avoid enemies and hotspots as you drop all the way to the bottom of this vertical chamber. Move through the bottom east exit.
6.2 Pass through the lava
As you move through the next area, watch out for explosive cogwork haulers and lava falls. Smack this undersweep from below, making them easier to dispatch.
6.3 Pass through Portal
At the top west of this next chamber, there is a portal you need to go through. It is just a leap west to reach your goal, the Altar that gives you Clawline Ability. Getting this ability will cause the platforms to disappear, and you need to find an alternative exit out of here.
7. Faydown Cloak
Faydown Cloak Location
Faydown Cloak allows you to perform a double jump. Use this ability to jump in mid-air. Faydown Cloak is a useful ability to cover the gaps and avoid enemy attacks in combat.
- Reach the peak point on Mount Fay to unlock this ability.
- Unlock a shortcut back to an earlier part of the mountain.
- There is another area here with a hidden safe spot.
- After crawling between several Driftlins and rings, you need to hop up to level ground.
- Quickly move west and break through the debris to access a heat source and a bench to rest at.
7.1 How to Get to Mount Fay
Clawline up and to the east, then air dash/clawline over another spike pit, following it with a well-timed clawline nearby driftlin.
- Perform a wall jump to get onto level ground, and quickly move west towards the next safe spot.
- After climbing up the nearby tube, get over some spikes and move west towards an air stream.
- Move east to reach the final safe spot, a tuning mechanism.
- Interacting with it and playing your Needolin will lead to a cutscene, and you will unlock Double Jump or the Faydown Cloak.
8. Silk Soar
Silk Soar Location
Silk Soar in Hollow Knight: Silksong allows you to unlock far sights, mask shards, memory lockets, riddle tablets, and secret rooms. Use this ability to fling upward. You can obtain this ability from the Abyss map in Act 3. Use this ability by pressing and holding down the Harpoon ability button.
- Make your way to the leftmost side of Deep Docks and turn right to follow the path to the right.
- Get inside the Abyss by moving to the Diving Bell and keep running.
- Travel west and drop twice.
- Move down onto the platform after going east to interact with the altar and claim Silk Soar.
NOTE: Silk Soar is an additional ability to help in the secret act Abyss. Mainly helps in exploration and vertical platforms, and can help find resources for upgrades.
